Steering-gear for motor-cars.



No. 781,651. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. H. W. HELLMANN.

STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1902.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

wit 11mm cjvwmkm PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

H. W. HELLMANN.

STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1902..

3 SHEETSBHBET 2.

No. 781,651. PATENTED FEB. '7, 1905.

H. W. HELLMANN.

STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 23, 1902.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNTTED STATES Patented February '7, 1905.

PATENT EEicE.

HEINRlGH \VILHELM HELLMANN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,651, dated February '7, 1905.

Application filed June 23,1902. Serial No. 112,766.

To 11 77 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HEINRICH \VILunLu H nLmiANN, engineer, of 7 Zinzendorfstrasse, Berlin, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of my invention concerning Improvements in Steering-(tear for Motor-(Jars and in what manner the same is to be performed to be described and ascertained by and in the following statement.

llly invention relates to a gearing for the steering-wheels of motor-cars, especially electrically-driven cars.

According to my invention the steerable fore wheels are geared in such a way that an even distribution of the load is obtained, and in consequence an even friction of the two steering-gear wheels, free mobility of the car and the steering-gear, reduction of the strain on the car-wheel gear, both by the weight of the motors, as also by the weight of the whole motor-car, convenient access to the drivers seat and to the motors, and the facility of installing motors of smallest possible weight. These advantages I obtain by arranging the motor or motors above the steering-wheels with their axles in a horizontal position within the elastically-suspended fore-frame of the car and connecting the motor-axles either directly or by means of an intermediate bevelwheel gear and flexible shafts with the earwheel gear. A nave over the axle-arm and concentric to the driving-shaft is seated independent of the latter, so that the pressure by the weight of the motor-car is kept off from the driving-shaft.

The great mobility of and the reduction of strain on this steering-gear could only be obtained by this inventiona combination of designs partly known already in motor-carconstruction by no means, however, by usingexclusively rigid driving-shafts or gears working under heavy strain. tinuous faultless working of the motor-car further provisions have been made to effectively protect the more delicate parts of the steering-gear from dirt and dust.

The following description, together with the drawings, will explain my invention in a detailed manner.

Figure 1 is the front view of the vehicle.

For obtaining a con- Figs. 2, 4, and 5 are special arrangements of the gear and the motors. Fig. 3 is the front end of a motor-car seen from above. Figs. 6 to 10 are details of the device for the convenient interchange of the flexible shaft and of released arrangements of the driving-shaft. Figs. 11 to 13 show the incasing of the gear in a dirt-proof casing.

in the front view of a motor-car, Fig. l, in which the steering-wheels u are driven by means of a flexible shaft 1/ by only one motor v, arranged with its axle in horizontal position within the elastically-suspended fore-frame.

Fig. 2 shows a steering-gear in which two motors (r a drive each one of the two steeringwheels independently by means of flexible shafts I) 7)" and bevel-gears (I f and (1 f, respectively.

Fig. 3 gives the plan of the fore-frame, showing the mode of gearing the two steering-wheels by two horizontally-arrangcd electric motors 1 0' by aid of an intermediate gear, each (g y) consisting of' suitable bevel-wheels. This arrangement of the motors affords a practical and even distribution of the weight of the two motors on both steeringwheels and allows of using high-speed and consequently light and cheap motors for driving the car.

If only one motor is to be used for driving the steering-wheels and an even distribution of the weight of the motor on the two fore wheels is desirable, I advise design Fig. a, in which the shaft /2 of the motor a parallel to the car-axle is extended and the flexible shafts driven by aid of bevel-gears.

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of the steering-wheel gear with two electric motors c 0, intermediate gears and vertically-guided flexible shafts I) being employed. This figure shows the mode of connecting the flexible shafts b with the rigid shaft ends l' A", car rying the bevel-gcars.by the sleeves (Shown in a larger scale in Figs. (5 and T.) This arrangement allows of conveniently and quickly exchanging the flexible shafts in the manner shown in Fig. T, without having to remove any further parts. The sleeves Z are fastened to the ends of the flexible shafts and are slipped over the rigid shaft ends 1' F, provided with tongues.

f is fixed to the hub of the car-wheel w.

Figs. 8 and 9 show two modes of arranging the relieved driving-shaft within the axis of oscillation of the axle-arm. A nave concentric to the driving-shaft is hereby seated independent of the driving-shaft. Under these circumstances the driving-shaft cannot be harmfully influenced by the bearing pressure caused by the weight of the motor-car. As shown in Fig. 8, the driving-shaftZ being the extension of the flexible shaft (Z is seated in the bifurcation of the car-axle. For this purpose ball-bearings m are advantageously employed. Further, a sleeve 7 concentric to shaft Z is fitted into this bifurcation with such a bore that this sleeve serves as axis of oscillation of the bush 0 over the oscillating axlearm q. Fig. 9 shows a relieved seating of the driving-shaft, in which in place of a separate bush the journals 8 of the ball-bearings are extended bush-like, so that they fit into the nave Z) of the axle-arm g and serve as axis of oscillation for the latter.

Fig. 10 gives a sectional view of another mode of arranging the steering-wheel gear, in which the bearing of the driving-wheel (Z is within the axis of oscillation of the axle-arm, yet remains independent of the same. The driving wheel (Z is fastened to a sleeve 6, which is loose on a pin 1', screwed into the car-axle, but independent of the bearing of the axle-arm. A cover-plate '0 holds sleeve 6 in its position on pin j.

To protect the gear-wheels against dirt they are practically arranged in a .casing, the arrangement of which is shown in Figs. 11 to 13. Fig. 11 is a front view of the casing, together with the adjoining parts. Fig. 12 gives a sectional view of the arrangment. Fig. 13 gives a side view of the casing. As may be seen, 19 is the car-wheel axle, in the bifurcation of which the pin 9, carrying the carwheel 00, is arranged, oscillating with its nave. The axis of oscillation is identical with the axis of the driving-gear (Z. The driven gear The casing 20 consists of two or more parts to be bolted together and connected by the screws y, with the sleeve over the arm q flattened out accordingly. If the axle-arm g oscillates, together with the car-wheel and the bevelwheel f, the casing participates in this movement, and thus constantly protects both gearwheels against dust. So as to enable the casings to oscillate with the car-wheel it is made to close over the boss of the bifurcation of the car-wheel axle. At the same time it is suitably cut out at this spot, as seen in Fig. 11. It is natural that dividing the guardcase into several parts as well as its shape must in each case be suited to requirements and to shape and arrangement of the gearwheels.

After now having completely described the nature of my invention I do hereby declare that what I claim is 1. In a motor-car with geared steeringwheels in which the driving-shaft is in the axis of the journal of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel, a hollow journal or socket which concentrically surrounds the driving-shaft and is on the carriage-axle mounted independent from the driving-shaft, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a motor-car with geared steeringwheels in which the driving-shaft is in the axis of the journal of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel, barrel-liked prolongations of the brasses of the bearings which are provided for the driving-shaft in the fork of the carriage-axle and form a sleeve or socket, which relieves the driving-shaft from the bearing pressure of the carriage-wheel journal, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a motor-car with geared steeringwheels in which the driving-shaft is in the axis of the journal of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel, hollow journals or sockets on the nave of the carriage-wheel.

journal which engage into the fork of the carriage-axle and form a sleeve or socket which relieves the driving-shaft from the bearing pressure of the carriage-wheel journal, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a motor-car with geared steeringwheels in which the driving-shaft is in the axis of the journal of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel, a pin in the axis of the driving-shaft which is fixed to the carriagewheel axle and surrounded by the socket of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel.

5. In a motor-car with geared steeringwheels in which the driving-shaft is in the axis of the journal of the oscillating spindle of the steering-wheel, a hollow journal or socket which concentrically surrounds the drivingshaft and is on the carriage-axle mounted independent from the driving-shaft, a protecting-casing, which consists of several parts and is mounted on the box of carriage-wheel journal substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

HEINRICH WILIIELM HELLMANN. Vitnesses:

OsKAR AVENDT, WOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

